The final round of major prep races for the 2025 Kentucky Derby is over, but the wait to get into the 20-horse Derby field on May 3 is just beginning.
And no group of people will be on pins and needles more over the next three weeks than the connections of Santa Anita Derby runner-up Baeza. A $1.2 million purchase two years ago, Baeza is coming off an impressive second-place finish in the Santa Anita Derby on Saturday, losing by less than a length to Journalism, the clear Kentucky Derby favorite.
Baeza’s Santa Anita Derby finish would have earned him a spot in the starting gate in the Run for the Roses at Churchill Downs in any other year. But this year, Churchill Downs changed the Derby qualification point system, cutting the points earned in any race with five horses or fewer by 25%. The tweaks clearly targeted the prep races at Santa Anita, which has had issues with shrinking field sizes for years.
The biggest victim of the changes is Baeza. Instead of earning 50 points for his runner-up finish in the Santa Anita Derby, he earned just 37.5 in the five-horse race. Though the difference is just 12.5, it is substantial. With 50 points, Baeza would be sitting at No. 21 on the points list and would need only one defection over the next three weeks to get into the Kentucky Derby, which is virtually a certainty. Instead, he sits at No. 25 and needs five more defections, which is far from certain.
Baeza’s trainer, John Shirreffs, who is best known for training fan favorite and Hall of Fame runner Zenyatta, said on the At the Races with Steve Byk radio show on Tuesday, “All we can do is watch the leaderboard and how it changes over the next week.”
If Baeza were to get into the Kentucky Derby, he would be a major contender. The horse who edged him out in the Santa Anita Derby, Journalism, is the clear Derby favorite. Baeza’s career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure is second to only Journalism’s career high (108) among the prospective Derby entrants. And Baeza is bred to be a classic winner. His half-brother Mage won the Kentucky Derby two years ago, and another half-brother, Dornoch, won the Belmont and Travers Stakes last year.
Shirreffs said Tuesday that Baeza already has returned to the track in the mornings.
“He came out of the [Santa Anita Derby] good,” he said on the Byk show. “Knock on wood because, as we know, things change quickly in horse racing.”
This news was originally published on this post .
About the author
Pacers roll to victory in Game 4 after Bucks lose Damian Lillard to injury
<!--> Myles Turner scored 23 points and the Indiana Pacers won 129-103 on Sunday night to grab a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost Damian Lillard to a lower left leg injury.The Pacers can eliminate Milwaukee in the first round for a second straight year by winning Game 5 on Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Bucks have lost eight straight road playoff games and the last five of those defeats have come at Indiana.Milwaukee might have to try ending that streak without Lillard.The seven-time all-NBA guard was helped off the court and into the locker room after suffering a non-contact injury midway through the first quarter.ADVERTISEMENT -->"Just being honest, it's not very promising," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game.The preliminary examination of Lillard indicated a possible Achilles tendon injury, a […]
Radil sundal mřížku a prolomil mlčení: Hned mám větší rozhled
6. zápas finále: Brno - Pardubice3:14SESTŘIH: HC Kometa Brno vs. HC Dynamo Pardubice 1:5Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:23Brno - Pardubice, zákrok Willa proti Š. StránskémuFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:32Brno - Pardubice 0:1 (12. Sedlák)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:35Brno - Pardubice 0:2 (23. Sedlák)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:33Brno - Pardubice, přeseknuté hokejky Červenky a SedlákaFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:37Brno - Pardubice, Sedlák útočil na hattrickFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:28Brno - Pardubice 0:3 (44. Radil)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:33Brno - Pardubice, bitka Pospíšila s PoulíčkemFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:31Brno - Pardubice, utkání sledovali i bývalí brankáři Komety Lukáš Dostál s Karlem VejmelkouFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:28Brno - Pardubice 1:3 (56. Pospíšil)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:27Brno - Pardubice 1:4 (59. Mandát)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:24Brno - Pardubice 1:5 (59. Smejkal)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA1:46Brno - Pardubice, Pospíšil se popral s Poulíčkem1:10Brno - Pardubice, […]
Why this Premier League title meant everything to Liverpool
When Alexis Mac Allister struck the goal that made Liverpool’s title feel that bit more secure, the noise that followed prompted principal owner John W. Henry to adjust his hearing aid.Yes, this isn’t baseball, John. This is football and this is Liverpool, where Henry and an entire generation of Liverpool supporters were experiencing something for the first time. It felt like the roof on the new Anfield Road stand was about to fly off. The boom at the other end seemed to rumble from the bowels of the Kop.All day long in the city there was a sense that the place was going to go up, and at the moment of reckoning the detonation was even louder.AdvertisementThe central figure in this scene was the referee, Tom Bramall. For four minutes of stoppage time, the focus of the crowd fell on […]
Enzo Maresca needs more Chelsea wins to turn doubters into believers
The frustration was coming through loud and clear.“Who’s going to stay around after the final home game to see the players walk around the pitch for a lap of appreciation?” a Chelsea supporter asked as he made his way to Stamford Bridge on the London Underground on Saturday. “What’s the point of doing that after everything we have seen this season,” he continued, his friend alongside him agreeing.AdvertisementElsewhere in the carriage, with the destination of Fulham Broadway just a few stops away, there were animated discussions about how head coach Enzo Maresca could get Cole Palmer back into form, and whether he was the right man to be in charge.Apart from the odd bewildered tourist or local going about their day, the vast majority of people in the carriage were heading to what most regarded as a ‘must-win’ match at […]
Emirates Stadium, European fortress
The home dressing room at the Emirates Stadium was built to Arsene Wenger’s specifications, but it is adorned with the language of Mikel Arteta.There is a treatment area where the walls are emblazoned with words such as “unity” and “trust”. In a corridor, there is a stencil that simply says, “This is our time.”The key messages are imprinted on the players just before they enter the tunnel. On one wall, a list reads: “Our non-negotiables: discipline, leadership, dominate, compete.” On another, in white lettering on a red background: “Fight until the end.” (James McNicholas/The Athletic)It is this mentality that has helped turn the Emirates Stadium into a European fortress (at least for the men’s side — Arsenal’s women’s team lost to Lyon at the Emirates earlier this month and had to overturn the deficit in France yesterday to reach the […]
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Celtics, Knicks take 3-1 leads
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch its ticket to the second round. The West's No. 1 seed finished off a 4-0 sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and await either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. Sunday brought a jam-packed schedule with four Game 4s: Knicks-Pistons, Lakers-Timberwolves, Celtics-Magic and Pacers-Bucks are all on the slate. The Knicks and Timberwolves won the first two games of the day, taking a 3-1 series leads against the Pistons and Lakers, respectively. Later on, the Celtics and Pacers followed suit with wins of their own and are up 3-1 over the Magic and Bucks, respectively. In the East, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers will try to match the Thunder's sweep. The Cavs are up […]
Related
Pacers roll to victory in Game 4 after Bucks lose Damian Lillard to injury
<!--> Myles Turner scored 23 points and the Indiana Pacers won 129-103 on Sunday night to grab a commanding 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference playoff series with the Milwaukee Bucks, who lost Damian Lillard to a lower left leg injury.The Pacers can eliminate Milwaukee in the first round for a second straight year by winning Game 5 on Tuesday in Indianapolis. The Bucks have lost eight straight road playoff games and the last five of those defeats have come at Indiana.Milwaukee might have to try ending that streak without Lillard.The seven-time all-NBA guard was helped off the court and into the locker room after suffering a non-contact injury midway through the first quarter.ADVERTISEMENT -->"Just being honest, it's not very promising," Bucks coach Doc Rivers said after the game.The preliminary examination of Lillard indicated a possible Achilles tendon injury, a […]
Radil sundal mřížku a prolomil mlčení: Hned mám větší rozhled
6. zápas finále: Brno - Pardubice3:14SESTŘIH: HC Kometa Brno vs. HC Dynamo Pardubice 1:5Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:23Brno - Pardubice, zákrok Willa proti Š. StránskémuFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:32Brno - Pardubice 0:1 (12. Sedlák)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:35Brno - Pardubice 0:2 (23. Sedlák)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:33Brno - Pardubice, přeseknuté hokejky Červenky a SedlákaFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:37Brno - Pardubice, Sedlák útočil na hattrickFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:28Brno - Pardubice 0:3 (44. Radil)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:33Brno - Pardubice, bitka Pospíšila s PoulíčkemFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:31Brno - Pardubice, utkání sledovali i bývalí brankáři Komety Lukáš Dostál s Karlem VejmelkouFoto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:28Brno - Pardubice 1:3 (56. Pospíšil)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:27Brno - Pardubice 1:4 (59. Mandát)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA0:24Brno - Pardubice 1:5 (59. Smejkal)Foto: Tipsport Extraliga / BPA1:46Brno - Pardubice, Pospíšil se popral s Poulíčkem1:10Brno - Pardubice, […]
Why this Premier League title meant everything to Liverpool
When Alexis Mac Allister struck the goal that made Liverpool’s title feel that bit more secure, the noise that followed prompted principal owner John W. Henry to adjust his hearing aid.Yes, this isn’t baseball, John. This is football and this is Liverpool, where Henry and an entire generation of Liverpool supporters were experiencing something for the first time. It felt like the roof on the new Anfield Road stand was about to fly off. The boom at the other end seemed to rumble from the bowels of the Kop.All day long in the city there was a sense that the place was going to go up, and at the moment of reckoning the detonation was even louder.AdvertisementThe central figure in this scene was the referee, Tom Bramall. For four minutes of stoppage time, the focus of the crowd fell on […]
Enzo Maresca needs more Chelsea wins to turn doubters into believers
The frustration was coming through loud and clear.“Who’s going to stay around after the final home game to see the players walk around the pitch for a lap of appreciation?” a Chelsea supporter asked as he made his way to Stamford Bridge on the London Underground on Saturday. “What’s the point of doing that after everything we have seen this season,” he continued, his friend alongside him agreeing.AdvertisementElsewhere in the carriage, with the destination of Fulham Broadway just a few stops away, there were animated discussions about how head coach Enzo Maresca could get Cole Palmer back into form, and whether he was the right man to be in charge.Apart from the odd bewildered tourist or local going about their day, the vast majority of people in the carriage were heading to what most regarded as a ‘must-win’ match at […]
Emirates Stadium, European fortress
The home dressing room at the Emirates Stadium was built to Arsene Wenger’s specifications, but it is adorned with the language of Mikel Arteta.There is a treatment area where the walls are emblazoned with words such as “unity” and “trust”. In a corridor, there is a stencil that simply says, “This is our time.”The key messages are imprinted on the players just before they enter the tunnel. On one wall, a list reads: “Our non-negotiables: discipline, leadership, dominate, compete.” On another, in white lettering on a red background: “Fight until the end.” (James McNicholas/The Athletic)It is this mentality that has helped turn the Emirates Stadium into a European fortress (at least for the men’s side — Arsenal’s women’s team lost to Lyon at the Emirates earlier this month and had to overturn the deficit in France yesterday to reach the […]
2025 NBA playoff bracket: First-round matchups, schedule, game times as Celtics, Knicks take 3-1 leads
Keytron Jordan, CBS Sports The 2025 NBA playoffs are in full swing, and the Oklahoma City Thunder became the first team to punch its ticket to the second round. The West's No. 1 seed finished off a 4-0 sweep of the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday and await either the Denver Nuggets or Los Angeles Clippers in the second round. Sunday brought a jam-packed schedule with four Game 4s: Knicks-Pistons, Lakers-Timberwolves, Celtics-Magic and Pacers-Bucks are all on the slate. The Knicks and Timberwolves won the first two games of the day, taking a 3-1 series leads against the Pistons and Lakers, respectively. Later on, the Celtics and Pacers followed suit with wins of their own and are up 3-1 over the Magic and Bucks, respectively. In the East, the top-seeded Cleveland Cavaliers will try to match the Thunder's sweep. The Cavs are up […]
Be the first to leave a comment